ISLAMABAD: A top Chinese official said on Thursday Pakistan occupied a unique place in Beijing’s neighborhood diplomacy, adding his country would support the core interests of the South Asian state and work for its economic prosperity.

The reiteration of China’s commitment to Pakistan’s development and diplomacy was made in a conversation that took place between Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

The two leaders exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including a multibillion-dollar joint economic corridor project bilateral economic and financial cooperation.

The Pakistani prime minister acknowledged his country’s strategic partnership with China, thanking the government in Beijing for its unflinching support to Pakistan’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and socio-economic development.

“In his remarks, Vice President Han said that Pakistan-China friendship is unique and has withstood the vicissitude of time due to deep fraternal ties between the peoples of two nations,” said a statement released by Kakar’s office after the meeting.

“He added that as a close neighbor and iron-brother, Pakistan occupies a special position in China’s neighborhood diplomacy and that China would continue its efforts for safeguarding Pakistan’s core interests and for the economic development and prosperity of the people of Pakistan,” it continued.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the steady development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and agreed to further enhance their cooperation on multilateral forums.

REVITALIZING US RELATIONSHIP

Later, the prime minister addressed an American think tank, Council on Foreign Relations, highlighting that his country’s partnership with Washington spanned over decades while expressing his desire to further “revitalize” it.

He maintained that his country wanted to pursue its own interests and did not want to indulge in bloc politics.

Kakar also said the US-Pakistan relation had witnessed “brisk momentum,” adding its broad-based nature made it difficult for anyone to view it “through the lens of another country.”

“The United States is our largest export destination,” he continued. “Over the past year, Pakistan’s total exports to the US reached an impressive $8.4 billion. We need to work on US investment in Pakistan. As caretaker prime minister, I am making a priority to improve Pakistan’s business climate and attract US capital and expertise.”

The prime minister noted that over 80 US enterprises were already operating in Pakistan, contributing to the mutual prosperity of the two countries.

“This constitutes a good infrastructure for investment on which we build further investment partnership,” he added.

MINING SECTOR INVESTMENT

Earlier in the day, the prime minister met Jakob Stausholm, the chief executive officer of a leading global mining conglomerate Rio Tinto Group, asking him to consider investing in his country’s mineral sector.

Kakar highlighted Pakistan’s vast untapped mineral reserves which, he said, valued over $6 trillion of gold, copper, and rare earth metals.

He also mentioned the newly established Special Investment Facilitation Council in Pakistan, saying it was providing a single-window platform to foreign investors.

“He emphasized the significance of the mining sector as a priority for FDI [foreign direct investment], leveraging Pakistan’s abundant natural resources,” said a statement circulated by the PM Office.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces on Thursday killed eight militants and arrested five others in two separate intelligence-based operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army’s media wing said in a statement.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first operation was conducted in the Jani Khel area of the Bannu district in which six militants were killed and five were taken into custody.
The second operation was carried out in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan district, killing two militants after an intense exchange of fire.
Datta Khel was part of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of the country which were later merged with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018. The area used to be a stronghold of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani security forces.
The TTP is distinct from the Afghan Taliban, though its leaders have taken oath of allegiance to the administration in Kabul.
“On 21 September 2023, security forces conducted intelligence-based operations in two districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which resulted in the killing of eight terrorists and the apprehension of five terrorists and their facilitators,” the ISPR said.
It added the slain militants from Bannu were involved in numerous “terrorist” activities against the security forces, including the facilitation of a motorcycle-borne suicide attack on a military convoy in Jani Khel on August 23, in which nine soldiers were killed.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed terrorists, [while] the sanitization of the surrounding areas is being carried out to neutralize any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR statement added. “Security forces of Pakistan remain determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism.”
Militancy in Pakistan witnessed a significant decline due to the army’s operations conducted in these areas in the past.
Following the return of Afghan Taliban to power in 2021, however, there has been a significant increase in attacks in regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
This surge was primarily witnessed after a fragile truce between the TTP and the government in Islamabad collapsed in November last year.